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HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A Cypress man charged with robbery and killing a good Samaritan at a restaurant in Chinatown on New Year’s Day in 2016 was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison without parole, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said.
Enzo Ubadimma, 24, was convicted of capital murder after a five-day trial and automatically sentenced to life in prison without parole for his role in the robbery and murder of 58-year-old Herman Ray Browning at the Huong Giang Hue restaurant. Ubadimma was just 18 years old at the time of the crime.
Prosecutors describe Ubadimma as the head of a crime ring that included two men and two women. They say he drove to the restaurant several times to check it out before the robbery with different members of the ring.
On the day of the shooting, masked gunmen entered the crowded restaurant at about 8:40 p.m. and went table to table, robbing customers. Officials say Browning, a Marine veteran who was dining with his wife and 8-year-old son, attempted to fight back and was shot and killed.
The two men fled the restaurant in a car driven by Ubadimma, authorities say.
“This defendant was not just a getaway driver; he masterminded the entire robbery and was the brains behind it,” said Assistant District Attorney Megan Long. “Meanwhile, Mr. Browning’s family was there to celebrate his wife’s birthday, and their hopes and dreams for the New Year turned into a nightmare.”
Cases are still pending against the two women as well as one of the men, who was a juvenile at the time and has been certified to be tried as an adult. The other man, Telavell Coleman, has also been sentenced to life in prison without parole after being convicted of capital murder.